Basically, there are about five rules I always follow:
1. Having the right cooking tools
2. Buying only the cheapest foods
3. Getting the right spices
4. Using the same easy cooking techniques
5. Researching the cheapest and easiest recipes that are healthy
1. The right cooking tools
I spent many years being near homeless because of disability. This meant I was packing up and moving several times a year. I began to realize that all you need to make almost every easy meal is a spatula, a pair of tongs, a whisk, a good chopping knife, a garlic press, a large metal mixing bowl, a slow cooker, two large boiling pots, a small pot, a couple of shallow baking dishes, and a metal colander.
2. Buy and store the cheapest foods
Learning what can be stored in a freezer is essential. When looking at your basic food groups, each category has its own version of cheap stuff that is healthy for you. Veggies and fruits are bought in season. Meats can be bought on sale and frozen. You can get more protein by eating eggs, nuts, beans, and yogurt. When you can't afford veggies, buy them frozen. Also avoided canned foods if possible and choose frozen or fresh instead.
3. Spices are everything
Many of the cheese-rice, Italian pastas, and chicken cous cous side dishes you make from a box are starches plus a dash of bullion. To make your own, cook pasta or rice until it is slightly aldente. Rinse it off with cold water until it is completely cold and let it dry in the colander. Then add a touch of water, butter/oil, and some bullion to a small pot. When the water is hot, add the cold pasta or rice. To make flavored cous cous, add the bullion to boiling water before you add the bullion.
4. Using the same cooking techniques
Most chicken dishes are very easy to make. Each cuisine of chicken dish tastes different because of the spices. What is not different is the cooking order of the food. For instance, your first step is to cut up onions and garlic to add to oil in a large cooking pot. When they are starting to fry, you add cubed chicken. Then you add your spices. From there, you add the most dense veggies, stir, let it cook, and then add less dense vegetables. When everything is about finished, you taste it and add more spices if you like. To make a sauce, you add a liquid and some cornstarch that has been made up in a separate cup with cold water.
5. Do your homework
Now that you have a general idea of how to make easy healthy chicken dinner recipes, the next step is to put this plan in motion. Here is a general recipe that I make 5 different ways depending on the spices I use:
Add this to a large boiling pot and fry on medium-high:
*2 lbs diced raw chicken
*3 tablespoons diced garlic
*1/2 cup cooking oil
*1 medium onion
Add spices once the chicken isn't so raw. Your choices are:
*Italian-Inspired (rosemary, bay leaves, red hot pepper flakes, more garlic, oregano, or basil)
*Bullion (ham, beef, or chicken)
*Asian-Inspired (ginger, soy sauce, more garlic, peanuts, etc)
*Indian-Inspired (curry powder and/or red hot pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon)
*Mexican-Inspired (chili powder, cumin, lime juice)
Adding the veggies to the healthy chicken dinner recipes:
To make this easy on yourself, go to the fresh veggies area and buy the types of cheap veg that go with your idea of Italian, Asian, Indian, or Mexican chicken recipes. If you can't afford fresh, go buy bags of frozen. Besides dense veggies, most can be added after the chicken is cooked. Keep stirring.
Final steps for easiest healthy chicken dinners:
Once the veggies are cooked, taste the food to see if it is actually tasty. If not, add some more bullion or a dash of vinegar. Serve over a plate of pasta or rice that you have rinsed off with cold water, stored in the fridge, and reheated in the microwave.
Thank you to the Library of Congress for the photo!
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